New Participatory Project: Republican Senators on Iraq

As this item is posted the Senate is in an all-night debate (watch it here) over the Levin-Reed amendment to the 2008 defense appropriations bill, which would require President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within four months and complete the transition to a much more limited mission by April 30, 2008. The vote at hand on Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning is to break a filibuster Senate Republicans are mounting to stop an up-or-down, majority-rules vote on the amendment. Democrats need 60 votes and that depends on the number of defections they get from within the ranks of the Senate Republicans. While several have made recent statements of support for a withdrawal timeline, pressure is intense on each Republican to stay within the fold and it is unclear how those statements will ultimately line up with their votes. Which Republicans have indicated they might flip? Once the filibuster is over, how many actually voted to end the debate and to pass the amendment? Have you seen a news story or heard about your own senators' positions? Help us keep track on Congresspedia's article on Congressional actions to end the Iraq War in a special section on Republican defections.

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